Good Grief, What a Travesty!

[Anonymous]

More's the pity that so much valuable information was lost when the previous forum was hacked. One of those old threads discussed the proliferation of reproduction Filz helmets, especially Tschakos, trimmed with leather. I own one of these worthless items (Sachsen) and so does Brian (Preußen).

Imagine my astonishment when I spotted this item in the latest update from Ken Greenfield.

http://www.derrittmeister.com/3328.htm

Unfortunately, Click on your "Back" Browser key to return to the JUST IN Page does not function from this link. However, I encourage everybody to read the item description. Be prepared for quite a narrative. Sweet Jeepers! I hope nobody makes a costly mistake by falling for it.

Wow!

Chas. :x

 

[flasheart]

Chas,

Does Ken know that this is a reproduction?

If you demand these sort of prices I would think that you would have to be 1000% sure of every item listed, including impeccable, documentary provenance. He certainly could not afford to make an error like this.

Mike

 

[joerookery]

Really really nice depot Mark! Very clear, very dark, very legible. And a Saxon Filz helmet dated 1913! Perhaps the entire theory of Filz helmets is wrong.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mike:

I just sent you a private message regarding your query.

Hi Joe:

I thought it might be useful to post a few pictures of my folly. I wasted $600.00 on this. You can see how closely it resembles the "Luftschiffer" Tschako. It even has a round shoelace threaded through the liner tongues. However, I would have to say my helmet is the superior fake. At least it has ventilation holes and a correct Sachsen style Reichskokarde.:lol:

Profit from my misfortune. If you seen any Filz helmet (mostly Tschakos and Tschapkas) with a leather trimmed base, WALK AWAY! Tony and I believe these were manufactured in the UK in the eighties. Occasionally, the Wappen and hardware are original. However, the felt is always the wrong color, texture, shape, etc. These are FAKE, FAKE, FAKE.

Chas.

 

[Tony without Kaiser]

Allow me to offer this anecdote, and then you can decide for yourself. An identical Tschako was bought by a good friend of mine from the same "dealer" who then allowed me to examine it. I was not happy at all with it, for many reasons that Chas has listed plus more. My friend returned it to the "dealer" with a detailed letter explaining that it was a well-known replica. It then showed up on his site, once again, at a magically reduced price of, if I recall, $600 or so. I mean really. This guy wants $2500 for a Preußen line officer Haube but he offers an ultra-rare Ersatz MG Tschako for $600? Insulting.

It sold again, also to someone I know as it happens, who returned it again. And it appeared yet again. And sold again. And the tale goes on. Now here is yet another one. Will he not learn? But to my delight, a facsimile of a 1914 Ersatz Tschako, with a nice big fat and oh-so-convenient stamp of 1912 (not 1913 Joe, but you saw the same glaring error I did).

A German friend of mine mentioned to me once that some German dealers and collectors sell "parts helmets and junk" at outrageous prices to an American dealer who, and I quote; "knows nothing and believes everything he is told". Gee. Who could that be?